Pneumatic action.



. TJIEYEP PNEUMATIC EGTION.

APPLICATION FILED 1150.27, 1907.

E'atsnted Eept. 15, 1998.

WI TNES'SES A TOB/VE 3 8 so diaph UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

HERMANN MEYER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

rnnmimrrc ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1908.

' Application filed December 27, 1907. Serial No. 408,292.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, HERMANN MEYER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Pneumatic Action, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

- The invention relates to self-players, self- 1o pla g pianos and like musical instruments,

an its object is to provide a new and improved pneumatic action which is very compact, not liable easily to t out of order, and arranged to allow convenient and minute adjustment of the valve from the outside, to

render the action exceedingl sensitive.

The invention consists 0 novel features and parts and combinations of the same, which will be more fully described hereino after and then pointed out in the claims.

, A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the'accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of'reference indicate corres onding'parts in all the views.

igure 1 1s a sectional side elevation of the improvement; Fi 2 is a perspective view of the valve casing Fig. 3 is a like view of the "adjustable valve seat, and Fig. 4 is a similar view of the clamping ring. v

The pneumatic A is provided with the fixed member A and the movable member A= having' a flexible rtion A of rubber or other suitable material. In the fixed member A of the pneumatic A screws a valve casing B, provided with an integral valve seat, for connecting the interior of the pneumatic A *iiith-the suction chamber C, formed on one I .sid'e of the diaphragm D and connected with 40 the suction devices E, with .a view to draw the air out of the pneumatic A, for collapsing the same, as hereinafter more fully described.

. The :movable member A (if the pneumatic A is connected in the usual manner with the piano action, so that when the pneumatic A collapses then the corresponding hammer of the action is actuated to sound the correspondingstring. v y

A chamber'F, on the upper side of the i 'D' connects by a hose G, with a tracker. oard opening, to rmit airto pass into the air chamber F w. enever a tracker board opening is uncovered by 'a corresponding note aperture in the note sheet? A bleed hole F connects the air'ohamb'er F with the suction devices, as plainly indicated in Fig. 1.

In the diaphragm 1) screws the threaded stem H of the valve H, adapted to be seated on the integral-valve seat B, or on an adjustable valve seat I, screwin in the lower end of the valve casing B. T e flexible portion A of the movable member A? of the pneumaticA, abuts against the un-" der side of the valve casing B and is clamped thereto by 'a clamping ring J, screwing on the lower threaded end of the adjustable valve seat I, the flexible portion A being out out, to accommodate the adjustable valve seat I. In order to provide a tight 'oint between the valve casing B, the ilexilo portion A and the clamping ring 5, a washer K is interposed between the said clampingring J and the flexible portion A opposite the bottom of the valve casing B. Now by the arrangement desciibed, the 7 valve casing B is rigidly connected with the fixed member A of the pneumatic A and also with the flexible portion A of the movable member A of the said pneumatic A. Thus the movable member A is free to S0 swing into an open or a'olosed position, and" at the same time the interior of the pneumatic A can be connected with the atmosphere by way of the'adjustable valve seat 1, whenever the valve ll moves off the adjust- S5 able valve seat I and onto the valve seat B. The head ll" of the valve stem ll extends into the adjustable valve seat I, so as to be within convenient reach of the operator, to permit the latter to conveniently screw the on stem H up or'down in the diaphragm I), to move the valve H into proper relation relativeto the seat B. As the valve seat I can be readily adjusted, its position is easily determined relative to the valve ll. When the several parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, the note sheet opening has passed .over the corresponding tracker board. opening, so that air is admitted to the air chamber The diaphragm D is thus moved downward, to cause the valve H to move off the valve seat B and onto the valve seat I, whereby the an in the pneumatic Ais drawn out by the suction devices E, and hence the the preponderance of atmospheric pressure against the under side of the valve H, so that the latter moves onto the valve seat B, thus disconnecting the interior of the pneumatic A from the suction chamber C, and connecting the interior of the pneumatic with the atmosphere. When this takes place the pneumatic A is inflated and the movable member A returns to open osition.

From the foregoing it will e seen that the valve mechanism is arranged within the pneumatic and consequently takes up very ttle room, thus allowing a largenumber of pneumatics to be arranged within a comparatively small space. It will also be noticed that as the valve H can be readily adjusted from the outside relative to the diaphragm D, the pneumatic action can be rendered exceedingly sensitive.

The valve mechanism is very simple and durable in construction, composed of comparatively few parts, not liable easily to get out of order.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A pneumatic action provided with a pneumatic having a fixed member and a movable member provided with a flexible portion, a valve within the said pneumatic, and a valve casinf connected with the said fixed member an with the flexible portion of the said movable member.

2; A pneumatic action provided with a pneumatic having a fixed member and a movable member provided with a flexible portion, a valve within the said pneumatic, and a valve casing connected with the said fixed member and with the flexible. portion 'of the said movable member, the stem of the valve extending to the outside at the said flexible portion. I

- 3. A'pneumatic action provided with a F pneumatic having a lixed member and a movable member provided with allexible portion, a valve within the said pneumatic, a valve casing connected with the said fixed member and with the llcxi'bleportion ol' the said movable member, and a diaphragm com nected with the stem of" the said valve, the stem extending to the outside at the said flexible portion.

4. A pneumatic action, comprising a pncu matic having a fixed member and a movable member provided-with a llcxiblc portion, a

diaphragm, a diaphragm chamber containingthe said diaphragm, a wind chest connection for the said diaphragm chamber at one side of'the diaphragm, a tracker board connection for the said diaphragm chamber at the other side of the diaphragm, a valve asing secured to the fixed member ol" the pneumatic and havmg a valve seat connected with the diaphragm chamber on the sidcot the said wind chest connectioma valve seat adjustably secured to the said valve casing, a valve adapted to be seated on either of the said valve seats and connected with the diaphragm, the said valve casing and the said "itdJLlStiLblG valve seat being secured to the flexible portion of the movable member of the said pneumatic.

5. A pneumatic action, comprising a pneumatic having a fixed member anda movable member having a flexible portion, a diaphragm forming an air chamber atone side and a suction chamber at the other side, a

interior of the said pneumatic, a second" valve seat screwing in the said valve casing for connecting the interior of the pneumatic with the atmosphere, the said casing andthe second valve seat being connected with the" said flexible portion of the movable pneumatic member, a valve adapted to be seated on either of the said valve seats, and a valve stem for the said valve screwing in the said diaphragm.

6. A pneumatic action, comprising a pneu matic having fixed member and a movable member having a flexible portion, a diaphragm forming an air chamber at one side and a suction chamber at the other side, a valve casin secured to the said fixed pneumatic mem er and having a valve seat for connecting the said suction chamber with the interior of the said pneumatic, a second valve 7 seat screwing in the said valve casing for connecting the interior of the pneumatic with the atmosphere, the said casing and second valve seat being connected with the said f flexible portion of the movable pneumatic member, a valve adapted to be seated on either of the said valve seats, and a valve stem for the said valve extending into the said second valve seat to allow"adjustment' of the valve from the outside.

7. A pneumatic action, comprism apnew' matic having a fixed membe and a movable member, the latter having a llexibleportion,

a valve casing secured to the said fixed mcmher and to the said flexible portion, a valve .seat integral with the sald cas1ng,-andan ad-* 'ust-able valve seat scrcwim onthe casin at the said 'llexible' portion, a clampingring v screwing on the said ad ustable valve seatto clamp the llexible portiou'to the casing, and

a valve adapted to. be sc-ater l 'oneit'h-e'r seat.

3. A pneumatic action, comprising apueumatic having a hxcdmember-randa"movable member, the latter having allcx-ibleportion,'

screwing on the said adj istable valve seat to name to thi's specification in the presence of clamp the flexible portion to the casing, a two subscribing Witnesses.

valve adapted to be seated-0n either seat, a

valve stem extending into the adjustable v HERMANN MEYER 5 valve seat aI1d a diaphragm in which screws Witnesses:

the said valve s tem.' THEO. G. HOSTER,

In: testimony whereof I have signed my EVERARD B. MARSHALL. 

